Graspan Solar PV SA utility-scale
High confidence operational Last researched: 2026-06-26
| Capacity | 75 MWac / ~97.5 MWdc (DC estimated from AC) |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern Cape, South Africa (coordinates approximate) Site is near Hopetown, Siyancuma Local Municipality, Pixley ka Seme District, Northern Cape, roughly 100 km south of Kimberley. No credible precise coordinate found in accessible sources (GEM wiki page exists but returned HTTP 403); approximate area only, no pin set to avoid a wrong placement. |
| Developer | ENGIE + Pele Green Energy (engie.com · LinkedIn) |
| Owner / equity | ENGIE South Africa with Pele Green Energy (B-BBEE / equity partner); ENGIE reported as majority/100% sponsor in some profiles |
| EPC / contractor | Aurex Constructors (mechanical works / sub-EPC, delivered for ENGIE) (LinkedIn) |
| Offtaker | Eskom (PPA + Implementation Agreement signed with Eskom and DMRE, Dec 2022) |
| Regulatory route | REIPPPP Bid Window 5 |
| Soil / geotech | 20,760 piles drilled/rammed/backfilled and concreted for the tracker foundations (per EPC Aurex). Logistics note: nearest batching plant >70 km away. No explicit pile-refusal/geotech-risk statement found. (https://www.aurex.com/blog/completion-of-the-graspan-75mw-solar-pv-project/) |
We are still confirming the following for this site:
- Exact site coordinates (lat/long) for map placement
- DC nameplate capacity (MWdc), separate from the AC figure
- Key dates (financial close / construction start / commissioning)
- Site decision-maker contacts (needs Apollo upgrade or Clay)
Sources
- https://www.engie-africa.com/press-releases/engie-brings-graspan-and-grootspruit-solar-pv-plants-into-commercial-operation/ (2026-06-26)
- ENGIE Africa press release: Graspan & Grootspruit into commercial operation (2026-02)
- Engineering News: ENGIE, Pele launch Graspan solar PV plant (2026-04-24)
- Aurex Constructors: Completion of the Graspan 75MW Solar PV Project (EPC/mechanical detail, panel & pile counts, trackers) (2025)
- Green Building Africa: ENGIE and Pele commission 75 MW Graspan (2026-04)
- Power Technology: Graspan Solar PV Park profile (75 MW AC, ENGIE) (2024)
- GEM.wiki: Graspan Solar PV Project (location, Eskom offtaker, BW5) — page returned 403 on direct fetch; data via search excerpt (2026)
Research notes
Sister plant to Grootspruit; both brought into commercial operation Feb 2026. EXISTENCE CONFIRMED with high confidence — multiple independent sources (ENGIE official, Engineering News, Aurex EPC, Green Building Africa, Power Technology, GEM wiki). Seed hints largely CORRECT: developer ENGIE + Pele Green Energy (confirmed), status operational (confirmed), AC 75 MW (confirmed), Northern Cape (confirmed). Sister-plant claim CONFIRMED: Grootspruit (75 MW, Free State) is the twin; both reached commercial operation Feb 2026, both BW5, both built by Aurex. Combined the pair add 150 MW.\n\nCAPACITY: 75 MW AC is consistently reported. DC/MWp NOT disclosed in any accessible source — left null (do not infer). The single 75 MW figure is the grid/AC contracted capacity. EPC detail: 149,472 PV modules, 155,008 panel rails, 1,384 torque tubes + drive-motor assemblies (=> single-axis trackers, bifacial per industry reporting), on 20,760 piles. (One automated page summary mislabeled this 'fixed-tilt'; the torque-tube + drive-motor hardware confirms single-axis tracking.)\n\nOWNER: ENGIE is lead sponsor; Pele Green Energy is the B-BBEE/equity partner. Note a discrepancy: Power Technology's profile lists ENGIE 100% and an outdated 'permitting/2024' status (stale data); the operational Feb-2026 status from ENGIE's own release supersedes it.\n\nOFFTAKER: Eskom — PPA and Implementation Agreement signed with Eskom and the DMRE in Dec 2022 (REIPPPP BW5 standard route). Financial close placed at ~Dec 2022 on that basis (approximate). Construction ran ~18 months; mechanical completion reported ~Apr 2025; commercial operation Feb 2026; public inauguration 21 Apr 2026.\n\nNO BESS — no battery storage mentioned in any source; storage left null.\n\nGEO: only town-level location (near Hopetown, Siyancuma LM, ~100 km S of Kimberley). GEM wiki has a map but the page 403'd on direct fetch; no numeric coordinate verified, so lat/lng left null rather than risk a wrong pin." VERIFY: Existence, 75 MW AC capacity, developer (ENGIE + Pele Green Energy), EPC (Aurex Constructors), Eskom offtaker, REIPPPP BW5 route, Northern Cape location, and sister-plant claim (Grootspruit 75 MW Free State; both COD Feb 2026; combined 150 MW) all independently corroborated across ENGIE official, Engineering News, Green Building Africa, renewablesnow, htxt, SolarQuarter, GlobalTradeAlert. PRIOR SEED NOTE ('Sister plant to Grootspruit; both COD Feb 2026') CONFIRMED. REFUTATION: overlay financial_close=2022-12 is incorrect — financial close was Dec 2023 (Dec 2022 was PPA/IA signing); construction_start and commissioning in the dates block are otherwise sound, but because the dates field carries a refuted value it is flagged for correction/drop. mw_dc and geo correctly left null (no source disclosed DC capacity or coordinates) — keep flagged as gaps, not errors. Power Technology 'ENGIE 100% / permitting 2024' is stale and superseded. CONFLICTS: FINANCIAL CLOSE DATE WRONG: overlay asserts financial_close=2022-12, but independent sources (SolarQuarter 2023-12-19 'Engie's Green Milestone: Financial Close for 150 MW Solar Ventures', RenewAfrica, ENGIE Africa) confirm financial close was DECEMBER 2023. Dec 2022 was the PPA/Implementation Agreement signing, not financial close. Overlay's own notes admit it placed financial close 'at ~Dec 2022 on that basis (approximate)' — that inference is refuted. ; Power Technology profile lists ENGIE 100% ownership and 'permitting / commissioning 2024' status — confirmed STALE; superseded by Feb 2026 commercial operation. Overlay correctly flagged this, but it means owner stake % (ENGIE 100% vs ENGIE+Pele equity split) is not cleanly reconciled across sources. ; Commissioning date: ENGIE official release states commercial operation '2 February 2026'; public inauguration was 21 April 2026. Overlay's commissioning='2026-02' is correct but the two dates should not be conflated. ; geo: no precise coordinates published anywhere accessible; only town-level (near Hopetown, Siyancuma LM, Northern Cape). Overlay correctly left lat/lng null — single-source-free, acceptable gap. ; mw_dc: DC/MWp capacity not disclosed by any source; correctly left null (do not infer).
Bidding or building this site? A 12-week rig import lead-time can sink a programme. Drillbuilders has JCS500 solar piling rigs in stock now in Mokopane — no import wait.
Reserve a JCS500 for the Graspan Solar PV programme JCS500 full specs →Planning intel compiled from open-source data — not a tender document. Suggest a correction or add missing info →